The Lucky Life of Fu
by myEleison
Summary: Fu's life was full of misfortune, but if she were a little bit luckier, things would have turned out differently. This is Fu's life if she was never captured.
1. Her Lucky Day

Just now, she promised to never show her face again, as long they let her sleep. There was a knock at the door, but the girl wasn't having it. She pulled the blanket over her head to block out the sound of the knock and the ray of light that struck from between the window panels and at her face.

They knocked, again. Surely, they would get tired, soon. Her bed was solace from the judgemental eyes of the villagers. A promise was a promise. Such luck to have, to be hated enough that people let her sleep.

Or so she thought.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!

They knocked more, and with no sign of stopping, their knock went rampant, one after another. The girl threw off her blanket and sat up. As she snarled toward the noise, she took a few heavy breaths.

"What do you want?! People are trying to _sleep_!"

The knock kept on, even as her steps matched the loudness of them and she opened the door. When she opened the door, the man's hand reached toward her head and knocked on that, as if her head was the door.

"Hello?! Fu?! Are you there?! Why do you always take forever to open the door? Are you in there?"

"Yoro!" Fu swatted his hand away from her forehead like a fly. "What do you want at this time of morning?!"

He leaned to match her height to observe her face. "It's _twelve._"

She mouthed a silent _oh._

Yoru held his hands up. "What gives?"

'"So what if I sleep all morning? It's not like I have class. Or parents. Or friends, even."

"Doesn't mean you should just let yourself waste away in your hut."

"Hey, some people would like if I did that."

He rolled his eyes as he straightened back up. "An eleven-year-old shouldn't be a hermit. Did you forget that Lord Shibuki had assigned you a task while he's in the Leaf Village?"

"Uhhh…" Her eyes bugged out as she looked down and scratched her head. "Is he back?"

"Not yet."

"Then - I could do it now? Just let me eat and - "

"I'll meet you at the Ninja Center."

"Okie-dokie."

After Yoro left, her stomach growled. She peeked into her fridge. Empty. She groaned and let the door shut on its own as she stood.

"Just my luck… oh, wait!"

She opened a cabinet and found a few apples. It was Shibuki who got her food, so she ran low while he was gone on a democracy trip the past several days.

After she left the house, she sucked in her cheeks and gazed back at it She lived on the outskirt, and where she needed to be was on the other side of the Takigakure. Her hut was actually near the main entrance of the village. If she could focus her ears, she could hear the thrash of the waterfall. It was one of the elements that hid her village, the other were ridges that almost scraped the sky.

Yoro and Kegon hated coming all the way to her hut. It was out of the way, and the only one who could easily access her home was herself.

Green, glittery chakra appeared at her lower-back, and out popped two insect wings. With a slow ascend, she flew up toward the roots of the colossal Holy Tree that hid them, only so she could fly over the village and avoid any interaction with the people down there.

She saw each building, every person walking by, each kid at play, even the Shinto shrine under near the lake that surrounded the trunk of Holy Tree. Further beyond, right by Shibuki's residence, was the top of the ninja center. She landed on a ceiling patio and walked down the stairs.

"Kegon? Yoro? I'm heeere!"

"Why don't you ever just walk like a normal person?" Someone out of breath asked.

In the corner, at an obscure corner, a sweaty, out of breath Yoro sat.

Fu chortled. "Did you just get here?"

"No!" He struggled to say.

"Where's Kegon at?"

"I guess he got tired of waiting and went ahead to the cavern system below. Come on."

"The cavern system?! But I hate caves! No way. They're cramped and dark!"

"If you don't, I'll have to tell Lord Shibuki."

She let out a groan, "Okay, okay, you win." She followed him out of the building. It was beyond an abundant amount of foliage and groves. Hidden a distance away from the village.

"What's going on in the cavern system?"

"Something is blocking a stream and it's causing a balance issue between our water sources."

"And how exactly am I supposed to help with that?"

"Some of the caves are… well, they're vertical. Only someone who can fly can go up and down them."

She gawked her mouth, "You're making me fly into a dangerous place like that?"

"We will be there to make sure nothing happens."

She wanted to appreciate him and say thanks, but she felt that the only reason they wanted to protect her was to keep the Seven-Tails in the seal. If she were to die, it would be released and wreak havoc on the village. As such was the story of the last jinchuruki.

"Yeah, wonder why."

"It's not like that and you know it."

For glimpsed at Yoro and saw his intense stare ahead. He was sincere.

She followed him through thick foliage until they finally entered the cave. Dozens of little streams carved into the ground, going in and out of the cave.

"I didn't know there was a back entrance," she said.

"The cave system is a labyrinth. There are actually several entrances that we keep secret, but for some reason, the water in this section is gone. In the middle of the passage is another cave that goes up. We want you to fly up there and check it out."

"How long is the tunnel going upward?"

"I have no idea, actually."

"Oh, great! Goodie!" Just when she felt lucky she could fly, she felt just as unlucky to be put on a mission _because _she could fly.

Eventually, they arrived at a large hole in the cave that was several yards deep. Fu could barely see puddles of water in it.

"This is the water-cave? Where would the water go?"

He fastened a rope to a huge rock, "Small cracks let the water leak out into and around the village, that's why the soil around the foliage was so damp. For some reason, the water stopped coming into the cave."

Once he threw the rope down the tunnel, he handed her a flashlight. "Be careful going down, and watch your step."

She popped her wings out and was about to descend, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And take this."

With his other hand, he handed her a thin headset. "It's a short-distance radio so I can talk to you. Press the button on the side to toggle it on and off."

She placed it on. Once Yoro placed his on, he nodded.

With a deep breath, her wings fluttered. Carefully, she descended until her sandals made contact with the ground. But with a single step, she yelped as she slipped on her ass.

"Fu?! I'm coming down!"

"Wait, don't!"

And like that, Yoro's feet slipped off the wet cave and he face-planted into the wall. Fu clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from ejecting a huge laugh that would echo throughout the cave.

"Oh. Well, that hurt," he said with his face against the wall.

Yoro managed to keep hold of the rope, but instead of using the cave's wall as leverage to hop down, he climbed down the rope. It took more time but Yoro was easily embarrassed.

Fu applied chakra to her feet and stood up. She had taught herself how to tree-walk, it was the same concept. The chakra made her feet "sticky," so that way she didn't slip on the cave's wet floor. Once she straightened her back, she rubbed her behind to soothe it from her slip.

Yoru did the same thing with his chakra and walked to Fu.

"You ready? How's your face?" She giggled.

"It's fine," he said through his teeth.

She began to walk through the tunnel while he used his flashlight to lead the way.

"I hope you realize how important you, Fu."

"No one would be able to walk up the cave because it was so slippery. I get it."

"No, I mean to the village. The shinobi of the village and the elders know how important your role is. Not many people could handle the mantle of Jinchuruki."

"I guess." She frowned. She was lucky to have such a role, but it was also unlucky because some people stared at her like a monster. "I just wish I had some friends."

"Go back to the academy, Fu. You may be surprised. The last host wasn't shunned away, just give it time, and you'll make more friends than you can count."

"But what if they're mean to me, again? The students are jerks, and the teacher doesn't believe in 'teaching a weapon how to fight."

"Just give it another shot. I'd wager that once you're a ninja, you'd get missions."

"...Maybe."

He shined his flashlight up to a cave, not as enormous as the one they're in. In fact, she barely had enough room to fly up it. Her pupils dilated at the thought of going up there.

"_That_ cave? I.. I don't know about this. I wouldn't have a lot of wing room."

"You can do it, I believe in you. What would happen if someone found the entrance? They would walk right into our village, and next thing we would know, we're being attacked out of nowhere."

She groaned at the horrible way that was said, but he was right. She got out her flashlight and aimed it up.

"Wish me luck?"

"I'll be here if you need me. Remember, the side button turns on the radio."

"You were supposed to say '_good luck,_" she mumbled.

She pressed the earpiece button before her wings buzzed and fluttered. Like a magical elevator, she started to ascend up. In regular, outside areas with lots of room, it was better to circle and loop around as she levitated upwards, but there wasn't enough space in the vertical, cavern corridor.

"You alright, Fu?" Yoro asked through the headset.

"As alright as I can be in a terrifying, vertical tunnel. I can't see the top." After a long moment, she saw something. The tunnel wasn't straight up, it started to angle upward. "Uh, Yoro?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"The cave, it started to curve."

"Can you go up it?"

"I… I think so." With great caution, she flew close the bottom of the curve so her wings wouldn't touch the top. "I can barely fit but I'm going."

Fu looked at the bottom and the top of the angled cave. The sleek, slippery surfaces reflected the flashlight. However, she saw how the sides were closing in, and what they led to.

"Can't we just make a new water system to fill up the cave?"

"Why do you ask?"

"There's only one way to go, and I'm pretty sure it's where the water came from."

"Why can't you go up it?"

"Because... not only is it sideways, but I would have to crawl through it. It's that small."

Silence.

"Yoro?"

"You need to do this."

"But what if it gets even smaller?! It's not like a rescue team would show up for me! And I doubt they would _want_ to.'

"If anything like that happens, I will personally risk my life to come to save you, no matter what."

She whined like a little puppy. "But, how would I see? I need a hand for the flashlight."

"You're going to need to either use one hand or do without."

"No, no, please. Don't do this to me," she whined louder.

"I'll treat you to some food when this is done, how does that sound?"

"You're just going to make Kegon pay." His silence told her she was right, but she sighed. "Fine."

"Be sure to apply chakra to your hands and knees so you'll stick better. Does it still angle up?"

"Yeah, it does, but barely."

After she stuffed the flashlight in her short's pockets, she came closer to the tunnel. It wasn't angled up like the cave behind her, but inclined that she would still fall. Without a sliver of light, she wasn't able to see in the cramped cave.

She funneled chakra to her feet so she could push herself in, and caught herself with the chakra at her hands, feeling for a suitable rock to grab. The knees were a little tricky to funnel chakra toward, but she did her best. If Yoro was small enough, he'd be able to easily do this part.

"I'm crawling up it. Keep talking to me. Please."

"Sure."

"How did you and Kegon meet?"

"We met at the academy, and were on the same team."

The academy was a small building, one teacher, and a few students.

"Who else was on your team?"

"It was Shibuki, we never had an official fourth member."

"Oh."

"You would make a great ninja, Fu."

"No, I wouldn't. I would make a great stay-home, errand girl. Shibuki wouldn't let me leave for missions."

"I'm sure we could convince him."

"You think so?"

"Yes."

She smiled in the dark, "I hope so."

"I think I hear Kegon coming."

"Be sure to tell him how much I hate him."

Her leg slipped and she let out a yelp.

"What's wrong?!"

"I- Yoro, I can't do this! I can't see and I have no idea where I'm going!"

"Don't panic, you'll-

She tried to reach for another rock, but she grabbed too tight, and she fell downward. She screamed and screeched as she tried to claw for leverage. Her headset came off her ear, and she could feel the cavern scrape against her skin.

Tears fell on her cheeks as she grabbed onto the cave for dear life. Time slowed down for her as she tried to claw her hand down into the cavern.

Upcoming events played out in her mind.

She would be shot out of this tunnel. In a desperate attempt, she would try to fly, but because of the short amount of space in the angle cave, she would hit the ceiling and fall down.

Then, she would get flung off the angled cave, and her body would forcefully hit the wall of the cave, and she would be knocked unconscious. Yoro may try to catch her, but even if he managed to do so, she would fall to her death.

And then - the monster would be unleashed.

She shut her eyes as tight as she could. Deep breaths, happy thoughts. Shibuki wouldn't want to see her dead.

With luck, she managed to hold onto a steady rock lump. She was too shook to place the earpiece back in to talk to Yoro. In fact, there was no thought of the sort.

Instead, she grabbed the flashlight from her side and shimmered it up ahead. Maybe she didn't fall as far as she thought. So far away, she made out what the end of the tunnel was. Ice. Or, rather, solid water, like the Watercutting Sword.

After she took note of rocks she could climb and hold onto, she placed the flashlight back to her side, and with some careful precision, she climbed deeper. Her sweat dripped onto the wall, but finally, she arrived.

There was no doubt about it. It was the Watercutting technique. It's not limited to just the sword, but only a master could do something of this caliber. So, the culprit had to be from within the village.

She placed the earpiece back in.

"Yoro? I found the problem."

No answer.

"Yoro? Yoooorooo~!"

She heard the headset click on from the other side.

"Hello, Fu," a man with a deep voice said. Not Kegon and definitely not Yoro.

"Who is this?"

"Aw, you've forgotten my voice from the time I've been away?"

Fu mind raced as she thought. Her eyes widened at the realization.

"Master Suien?"

"There you go! I sure hope you aren't all up in that scary, cramped cave by yourself, Fu! I sure would hate for you to be up there when the jutsu wears off soon. It was a trap meant for the jonin, after all. I wouldn't dare hurt someone as important as the jinchuuriki."

"...It's going to wear off?"

The headset on the other line went dead.

She shimmered the flashlight back to the jutsu, only to see it drip. As it absolutely bursted, she wasn't able to properly process the turn of events. She was flung around the tunnel and she sped down the cave. The rocks slipperiness were intensified.

Her eyes shut. She was too afraid, and so, she imagined she was somewhere else. Brief images of red grass that swayed in the wind came to her mind, along with the sensation of warmth and security.

And tiredness.

* * *

She awoke to the sight of soft, flowing water that fell down in the vertical shaft. All around her, there was some green, sticky substance that stuck her to the roof of the angled roof, above where she had to climb into the tunnel.

The cocoon was comfortable, to say the least. She pulled on it, saw it was webbing, made of strong chakra. Something like the Seven-tails power. Either she was able to channel its chakra in her moment of extreme distress, or it didn't want to see a girl be killed so miserably.

Either way, it was lucky.

She had no idea how long she was out, but she needed to get back to the village. If Suien was there and had done something to Yoro, Kegon, and her, then he must be after something. Her best guess was the Hero's Water, which was used by Shibuki's father, Hisen to demonstrate grand power and protect the village. Although, it led to his death.

The current issue was, how would she get down? Even if the cave was filled with water down there, if she let herself fall from this height, it would still hurt. May even be fatal.

She was overthinking. There wasn't enough water falling to stop her from descending down with her wings. However, before she was able to put that plan into action, she had noticed the webbing had traveled all the way down.

The Seven-Tails did that for her.

It made an easy ladder to go back down. It was a good gift because she felt absolutely drained, and she still had to swim.

The water was chilled to the touch. She took a deep breath and swam back. At the end at the cave, she was careful to look for any intruders Suien may have brought with him. Drenched in cold water, she ragged out her clothes in what ways she could. If only she knew a technique to dry herself.

Suien was a jonin that deserted the village after he wasn't made the leader. After the first time he drank the Hero's Water, Hisen was aged fast and Suien sought after leadership. He was also Shibuki's teacher and even tried to coerce her into fleeing with him.

Stress lines appeared on her forehead. Even if the majority of the village hated her, she never wished them harm.

With soft steps, she arrived out of the cave and to an early Sun. So, it had been an entire evening and night since she first went into the cave. Would that mean Shibuki was back? Did that mean everything was alright?

If that were the case, then no one had come for Fu, after all. Both options were bad news. Well, there was only one way to find out. The life of a hermit didn't sound too bad.

As she was about to sprout her wings, she decided she should just walk, like a normal person. She didn't want to be seen, either by the villagers or the enemy.

It seemed her fix on the water stream inside the cave had already drained some water out in the foliage. She expected to see Suien and henchmen, but not a single soul was spotted, even at the Head Residence and the Ninja Center.

She continued to walk to the next house, who the owner was an old man named Senji. He was the leader before Hisen and was a sort of guide to Shibuki, and even sometimes looked after Fu.

However, before she peeked around the corner of the house, she heard someone stretch. There were three people. She kept quiet and listened to the conversation right in front of Senji's house.

However, she didn't recognize any of the voices. There were two boys and one girl, each of them a little bit older than her. Old enough to be a genin. Of course, Fu didn't know too many people personally.

"Grandpa!" One of the boys shouted.

Suddenly, she heard a hacking cough. Senji's cough. In a hurry, she looked around the corner.

"Is he alright?" She asked. Immediately, she realized the strangers were not Takigakure ninjas, but rather their headbands were the insignia of the leaf. "Wait, why are foreigners here?!"

"It's okay, Fu. They are allies," Senji heaved. She saw a stream of blood from his lip. He must've fought. He had splints on his arm and leg, along with red bandages on his head.

As she walked closer, her eyes were full of sorrow and guilt. "Did Suien did this?"

"I'm glad you're alright, Fu. I was really worried when our enemy had said they have gotten rid of you."

"You were? But, Kegon and Yoro are.."

"We found them together last night, both of them were poisoned and won't be able to help us against Suien."

"Then... I can help. I can."

"Thanks, but no thanks!" The blonde haired boy said. "The last thing we need is a kid getting in our way!"

She scowled at him, as did the girl on his team. "Naruto, you idiot! Just because you're a ninja doesn't mean you're an adult!"

The girl gave Fu a smile and a nod, which she returned.

"Wha- Sakura, what do you mean?!" Naruto tried to ask.

Fu helped Senji up. "Did you take food pills?"

"Indeed, I just did. When the fight begins, I won't be able to help much, though."

"Right," the yet named boy said.

"Where did Shibuki _go_?" Naruto grumbled.

"Please, don't criticize our leader," Senji pleaded.

"What's your problem with Shibuki?" Fu furrowed an eyebrow at him. She hated how outspoken the boy was.

"Why is it that everyone _doesn't_ have a problem with that coward?"

"We feel sorry for Lord Shibuki," Senji said. "He may be cowardly, but he's also very kind. Besides, he never wanted to lead our village. He just inherited the post from his father."

"Yeah, yeah. He's still a big wuss."

"Please, he suffers enough. That's why we leave him alone."

"But he should do his duty!"

The other boy pulled Naruto way, "Let it go."

"But-"

"Come on. We need to get ready."

Shibuki walked toward them as he hung as his head, but then gave the team of ninjas a glare. Or, more so, the jerk Naruto. "So what are you going to do?"

Naruto gaped his mouth but snarled at him, "What are _we_ gonna do?!"

Before he could act more up, his other teammate with the black hair grabbed him. As they squabble in the background, Fu came up to Shibuki.

"I'm glad you're okay…it turned out it was Suien who clogged up the cave, but I fixed it."

Shibuki rubbed his forehead. "I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt from that. I'm deeply sorry. I knew I shouldn't have let you go up there, would have been better to just put up a wall in the cave."

Senji whistled at the boys. "We will hide inside the Holy Tree. Miss Sakura will guide us while you two fight the enemy."

Fu looked to Senji. "Can I help?"

Senji looked to Shibuki, who nodded back.

"You can. Go to the infirmary, guard Yoro and Kegon with your life," Shibuki demanded.

"You put them there?! That's right next to the Tree!"

"It's in the tree we'll hide the others villagers, but Kegon and Yoro would be more than safe with you there."

She placed her stare away. "I'll do as you say, then."

With a low profile on her way to the hospital, she pondered how people did this every day of their lives. Her feet already ached.

The nurse sneered at Fu as she entered the room.

"Shibuki ordered me to guard them," Fu said.

The nurse turned her attention back to them. Her silent expression said it all, that her presence there brought more danger than protection, but she wouldn't go against the word of Lord Shibuki.

"Is… there any way I could help?"

She looked at Fu another time but slowly shook her head sideways. People avoided conversation with her at all cost, it's as if some didn't even know how to talk. With her offer denied, she opted to look out of the window and to the Holy Tree.

Even since she woke up in the cave, there was something different in her perception. Before she even saw the three Leaf genin, she knew they were there. Then, she knew Shibuki was about to talk up to them.

And yet, even now, something spoke to her.

She snapped her head toward her feet. Between it, a beetle. The sensation it gave off, it transmitted what it saw to her, like telepathy, pheromones, or something similar to the Wave Transmission Technique.

But not just that beetles on the floor. Others, such as the ones in the tree.

And Suien - in the Sanctuary hidden inside the Holy Tree, he held a little girl by her arm and threatened her neck with a kunai!

Fu pushed the window opened, and without so much of a goodbye, darted into the air. She flew up and toward the skylight of the Sanctuary. Her main goal was for him to relinquish the girl, the second was to hold him off until help arrived!

Just as Suein looked over his shoulder, Fu darted into the Sanctuary, grappled him, and pushed him over. Not only was the girl freed, but he only let go of the knife for her to pick up!

His cheek was smashed to the wooden floor as he looked to see Fu sat on his back, kunai at his neck. With a twisted smile, one she remembered quite well, he looked at her.

"Ah, Fu! These villagers, do they still look at you the same?"

With an intense stare, her pupils grew a size bigger. All the other villagers, even the ones who threatened or, said she should just leave, were there.

She looked down to hide her eyes away from them. "Yes, they do."

His eyes trembled. "Wasn't I right? They would never see you for a real person, not like me!"

None of the villagers spoke. Some trembled or had damp eyes, some looked away. Others even had a pale face at the circumstance that Fu might betray them, while the rest fidgeted at the idea.

But not one looked Fu in the eye as she looked around.

"You're right. You're absolutely right."

His smile grew wider. "So, would you like me to take you on as a pupil?"

"She's going to do it," one of the villagers whispered to another.

"That monster…"

Fu's bangs dangled as she looked at the knife at her neck. It was a crossroad. As she heard more whispers among the villagers, she smiled.

And with a pitiful, damp face, she smiled through her tears.

"Why would I prove them right? I'd rather prove them wrong and _show_ them that I'm not what the monster they think I am!"

Suien eye was enraged and his smile vanished.

The little girl whose neck was about to be cut just a moment ago spoke up. "I'm sorry-"

In a flash, Suien elbowed Fu in the face and knocked her away. Even though she rushed to get up, he punched her face with his palm and push her to the wall. She tried to slice him at his abdomen or anywhere but wasn't able to. When she tried to stab his arm, he twisted her wrist and made her drop the kunai.

"I'm a Jonin! You're not even a genin, you're just a lousy monster! How could you ever even dream of going against me?!"

She bit his palm. In a reflex, he pulled away. "You bit me?!"

Her wings buzzed out of her back and she darted at him, again. This time, she grappled his arm and used her wings as an advantage. She looked around to make sure she didn't hit any of the villagers and pushed him into the wall.

However, after a few pushes, he countered it by turning around and forced her to the wall. Even began to punch her head. All awhile, she looked at the villagers stare. Now, they would stare into her eyes as they hoped she won.

As she was flung away and to the wall, Suien picked up his knife. As he was about to stab her with it, a familiar face held his arm from doing so.

"You, again," Suien grumbled at Naruto.

The girl Fu saved crouched to her, "Are you alright?"

Blood dripped down and around her forehead, but Fu smiled and gave a thumb-ups. "Peachy."

Suien maneuvered his arm out of Naruto's hands but failed to land a successful blow on him.

"I've only kept them alive to lure out Shibuki, but now I'm pissed!"

"You don't scare us! We have Lord Shibuki!" One of the kids said.

Suien cackled another time. "Your Lord is a coward! He ditched you lot and took the Hero's Water to protect himself!"

As Suien threw his knife at one of the kids, Naruto stepped in front of it, lodging it into his back. With a painful whence, Naruto fell to the ground. Suien growled and came closer to Naruto.

"Hey!" Shibuki appeared at the door frame that led deeper into the tree. In his hand, as an hourglass-shape bottle of water.

Suien turned around and smiled as he mocked him. "After all the times I called your name, you finally came! Lord Shibuki!"

Shibuki looked puzzled on what to do and took a step toward Suien.

The other boy, Naruto's teammate stood at the skylight. "What are you doing, ShibukI?!"

"What does it look like? I'm giving him the Hero's Water. What else can I do?"

With curled eyebrows, Fu peered at Shibuki. After Suien pounded her noggin, her migraine made it hard to see. But even she knew that once Suien got what he wanted, he would just kill them all, anyway.

"But… why?" Fu asked.

"I'll figure something out," Shibuki assured them.

"Yes! Give it!" Suien held his hand out for it.

"No! First, let everyone go!"

Suien chuckled, "Ha! What happened, you're like a whole new person! The water is another fake, is that it?"

Shibuki shook his head sideways, even shook up the bottle to show the glow of the Hero's Water. "I assure you, this is the real thing."

"Put it down, right there."

"You need to promise not to kill _anyone._"

Suien grinned and bowed. "Of course, after all - we used to be master and disciple."

With that, Shibuki placed the bottle on the ground, which Suien plucked up. Everyone was horrified to watch him take out the cork and guzzled the water down. With a pleased sigh, he placed the cork back in.

"This! This is power! Ah-ha! It _was _real!" His body inflated like a balloon and his chakra was enraged. However, within a moment, his body was back to a normal human shape, just before he grabbed Shibuki by the throat!

"Don't worry, you will have all these friendly faces in the afterlife!"

"You promised!"

Suien's twisted smile was overruled by confusion as Shibuki twisted his wrist.

"Wh- you drank it, too!?"

Shibuki pried his hands away from his throat and threw him out of skylight, out of the sanctuary. Shibuki followed him out, so they may fight without further endangering the villagers.

As Naruto sat up, he was delighted. "I knew he had it in him."

Fu rolled her eyes but looked at his offering hand up.

"You did really good handling him… for a kid."

She scrunched up her upper lip and nose to show him a disgusted look. "You're a kid, too, dummy."

"Yeah, but I'm a ninja."

She swiped his hand away.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you up!"

"Leave her alone!" The young girl said before she kneeled with Fu. "Thank you for saving me."

Before she could reply, the girl wrapped her arms around Fu's neck. She grinned. It was such an odd feeling to be hugged. "It's not like I could let something happen to anyone here."

There was a large thrash outside, which Naruto stood up to. "Guess I should go help."

Fu nodded, but before he left, she grabbed him by the sleeve. Even as more blood dripped all overhead, she put on a smile. "Thank you. It was lucky you were here."

He nodded as he adjusted his headband. "No problem. I couldn't let an allied village get trashed by some jerk. Hey - what are you guys doing!? Get her some help!"

With that, he left through the skylight.

As she laid her head back on the wall, Fu felt tired. Really tired. She wanted her bed.

"_**I promised that if they let me sleep, I would never show my face again."**_

'But, please don't let me sleep,' she thought.

More of the villagers started to aid her.

"Stay awake!" One of them said. "There's no way you don't have a concussion!"

"Let us help."

"I have some bandages for her head," a villager offered to the closer one.

It would be tragic to go into a coma right when she gained the trust of the villagers. However, her light headlessness had gotten to her.

"We should bring her to the hospital, they'll have to let her stay there after she protected us!"

Her dizziness, it started to take over. She drifted off, and again dreamed of the red grass plain.

* * *

**If you're wondering about Reconstruction, see my bio.**

**I hate doing notes at the end but it's necessary. The story follows along the New Chunin Exams anime filler that Fu's team goes on, right before she gets captured. However, this story would be about what would happen if she survived that encounter. I was going to summarise the filler at the beginning of the chapter after it would take place. If people want me to re-write it in my own way, I will, though. Just say so in a view that I should rewrite the filler. Don't wanna, though.**

**Please review what you liked and what I could work on!**


	2. Her Lucky Bag

Fu grunted as she pulled another weed out of the ground and piled it on top of a nearby stack. She used her armlet to wipe the sweat off her forehead before she squinted at the huge garden around.

It had been a long week but her D-Rank had finally come to a close. Once she was sure there were no more weeds, she stood up, dusted the dirt off, and walked to the nearby cottage.

A middle-aged lady watched from an open window. "Thanks, Fu. I'll be sure to tell Lord Shibuki what a great job you've done helping me out."

Fu smiled and shot her a thumbs-up. "Maybe if I do enough of these chores, he'll let me go on a real mission!"

It had been a year since Suien had invaded their village and Fu protected the villagers. While she was in a week-long coma, villagers came and left flowers at her bedside. The girl she saved had even drawn a picture of them together.

After Fu flew to the roof of the Head's Residence, she hung her head upside-down at the entrance to look inside. Shibuki sat on a floor mat and overlooked a scroll, but glimpsed up to see Fu's head at top of the doorway.

"Fu, you don't need to spy on me," he said.

She pursed her lips before she let herself fall to the ground and walk in. "I pulled all the weeds, chief."

"Good. Her crops may be vital this upcoming season."

She sat on the floor mat in front of him. "Vital?"

"Have you seen one rice field here, Fu?"

"Uhhhh.."

"We have such limited area in our secured sanctuary, but almost no flatlands. Not enough for all the people, that's for sure. We get produce from a Land of Sound trader, but it's been months since we've heard from him."

"Why don't we find another trader?"

"I thought about that, but we've known this man for a long time, I know he's trustworthy. Who's to say the next trader won't sell our whereabouts?"

Fu's light frown disappeared as she gasped and smile. "This could be my first big mission! Let me go find this trader!"

"Don't be so hasty! Hey!"

She picked up the scroll from his hands and held it up the air, "Yes! I can see it now! A C-Rank mission, maybe even B! Not only do I get to see the outside world, but then everyone will be so proud of me! Maybe I will even get promoted to chunin?!"

Shibuki stood up and took the scroll from her. "You need to take the chunin exams to be promoted to chunin! And you will not be assigned to such mission! It will go to my most trusted Jonin!"

"Eh?" Fu crooked smile faded. "What are you saying? Isn't it time to let me out?"

Shibuki shook his head. "No. Go tell Yoro and Kegon to come here."

Fu dropped to her knees and prayed to Shibuki. "Come on, please? Please?! I can do it! His village shouldn't be too far away, right?! Let me tag along!"

Shibuki looked at her with a curious look as she brought her hands up. Her eyes twinkled and shook as she observed the leftover dirt on them.

"If I pull one more single weed without a better mission, I'm gonna go insane."

"Take a stay-at-home vacation then, but you're not leaving this village. What if someone found out you were a jinchuruki?"

Fu made a crooked smile. "Then I'll fly away, duh!"

"You're staying here, and that's an order."

She pouted. "You're being really unfair."

"I'm being a leader."

"By keeping me stuffed in this cramped place? I've got wings, I need to let them spread someday."

He sighed. "I'm doing this for your own safety."

"And what of that time you had me fly up and crawled up that cave? I wasn't even a ninja!"

"Enough!"

Fu straightened out at his stern voice.

"You need to stop acting up. If you were more respectable and stayed out of trouble then I, just might, someday, let you have a mission that left the village!" He shut his eyes as he pinched the temple between them. "Must I keep being reminded of that mistake that almost costed your life?"

With her head tilted downward, she stood and rotated to walk out. "I understand. Sorry, Lord Shibuki."

"Wait," he said, but Fu ignored his empathetic call and left.

Fu walked to the ninja-center. It was a small, two-story building close to the Head Residence, a place for the ninjas to stay organized. Inside was a janky filing cabinet, wooden chairs littered with splinters, and a metal table, who was occupied by Kegon.

"Fu, something bugging you?" He asked.

She squinted at him. "Bugging me? Really?"

"You know it can't be helped. What's got you so tensed up?"

"Shibuki still won't let me go on a _real_ mission. I spent the last week digging dirt and I don't even get a shot."

"We're not like other villages, Fu. Yoro had tried to persuade Lord Shibuki into letting you come with us before but it was met with a firm no."

Fu got close and cupped his ear to whisper, "You could always just let me secretly tag along."

"Now it's my turn to give a firm no. It's treason to go against Lord Shibuki's wishes."

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand around. "Yes, yes, I know. Where's Yoro?"

"Training."

"Chief had sent for the both of you."

"Oh? Care to do another favor?"

"I'd rather not when I'm not going on the mission."

"Go get Yoro from his usual training spot."

"I just said I'd rather not!"

"If you do this, I'll try and persuade Shibuki into letting you come with us on this mission."

She pursed her lip trying to hide her smile. "Okay, fine."

Fu ran out of the building and flew up into the sky. As her wings on her back, she soared just underneath the leaves of the Holy Tree peering at the smaller trees below. As she lowered herself to glide over a huge clearing, she saw Yoro on top of the waterfall.

Yoro had excellent chakra control and was her instructor on the subject. With the water-walking technique, he sat on the flowing water before it fell to the giant pond.

He balanced a small ball on his nose. Another technique to enhance one's chakra control was to flow their chakra into a focal point. No doubt Yoro was doing that right now.

He was so caught up in his training, he had no idea Fu landed behind him. As she reached for his armpits, she bit her lip to keep herself from snickering. Caught so off guard by her tickle, he tried to close off his armpits from the ferocious attack.

"Fu!?" He called out.

She bursted with laughter. "Why're you so ticklish?! So much for acting like you're the most serious person ever!"

"Get-" He leaned forward to get her off, but to no luck. He had to cuff his mouth before a peal of laughter escaped. With that, he lost his chakra control and slipped out of her hands as he fell into the water.

She smiled at the water ripples. When he didn't pop out of the water, her eyebrows became knitted.

"Yoro? Where are you? Yoroooo~?"

Worry lines grew on her forehead as she buzzed up and looked down the waterfall. In the giant lake, his jacket was on the water surface. No sign of him. She hid her mouth with her fingers.

"Oh... oh, no. Yoro?!"

Above the surface of the water, she grabbed the jacket and looked through the water repels in the giant pond.

Two arms shot up from the water and grabbed her ankles. She tried to fly away, but he was too strong and pulled her all the way under the water. From the huge splash the impact made, her head popped out. Yoro as he climbed out of the water, jacket in his hand, she squinted at him.

As he wrung out the water in his jacket, he glared at her. "What have I said about tickling me?"

She glared back for another moment before she slowly flew out of the water and landed by him.

"Hey, don't-"

She shut her eyes, clapped her hands together, and buzzed her wings. Water sprinkled in every direction, including Yoru.

"-do that…"

"Shibuki has a mission for you and Kegon, you better hurry!"

"Idiot! Why couldn't you just say that!"

She grinned. "If I don't do it now, who knows when I can mess with you next?"

* * *

Yoru and Fu arrived at the doorstep of the Head's Residence. Kegon stood outside, awaiting both of them.

"Well? Can I tag along?" She asked

Kegon shook his head sideways. "Sorry, Fu. He asked for you to talk to him after we leave."

She frowned and tilted her head down. "Okay. I'll wait out here…"

Kegon and Yoro walked in, which gave Fu the opportunity to eavesdrop, not like it was hard. All she had to do was focus on listening.

"As I've already told Kegon, I have a very important mission for the two of you," Shibuki said as he handed them a scroll. "You need to leave your headbands here for this mission. I'm not sure of the circumstance, but our trader has fallen out of touch with us."

"You want us to find out what happened?" Kegon asked.

"If you can. Your main objective is to find a trustworthy trader. They must not know about your village loyalty. We can arrange for a place to meet to trade and keep our village hidden. Maybe after some time, after we know we can trust this trader, he can replace Hugo. Your secondary objective is to look for clues on what happened to Hugo."

"Understood."

They both took off their headbands and gave them to Shibuki. "I will keep them safe. Leave as soon as you can."

"We'll leave immediately," they both said.

As they walked out, they turned to Fu.

"Be good, brat," Yoro said.

Fu rolled her eyes. "I'll try, depends how bored I get without either of you here."

Kegon smiled. "We won't be gone for long, try not to get sprayed by bug repellant."

As he chuckled, she growled at him.

"Fu?" Shibuki called.

The two jonin waved her off before she stumbled inside.

"Hey, chief. I'm sorry about earlier."

"No, really, I was out of line to have yelled at you. Ever since that day that I almost lost everyone in the village due to my own cowardice, I've been afraid of coming to such circumstance again. I even hated sending our regular shinobi on missions."

"I understand, chief. I really do."

"I'm glad... And soon, I'll be comfortable with letting you out. In fact, I have a mission for you right now."

"Really?!" She was delighted.

He held a humble hand up before he handed her a slip with a seal on it. "It's still within our territory, but nonetheless, away from the village."

"What is it?! What is it?!"

"To the West, away from the Holy Tree and on the ridge, there's a long route that leads to a hut. It should be overgrown with vines, but protected by a barrier. Place this seal on the door to get in. Inside it, there is a red, cylinder bag. Don't look in it. Bring it straight here."

"Got it! I will get it done, chief! You can count on me!"

"Hey - wait!"

She already stormed out, without hearing another word from Shibuki. The village was surrounded by huge ridges, then covered up by the leaves and roots of the trees, most of which is from the Holy Tree.

Once she was no longer able to fly, she dropped to the bottom of the ridge and looked for the path. After a long while of walking along the wall of the ridge, gliding over the river of waterfalls, she finally the pathway.

Through a door-sized crack, she saw the barely visible route of dirt molded from trees aligned in such a way for a clear, straight path. It was clearly visible to anyone who was aware of it.

She charged down the path, only to be caught by a net trap and thrown up. Dangling from the tree branch, she took a kunai from her leg pouch, sliced the net open, and landed on her feet. Nobody was around, must've been an old booby trap.

The rest of the way, she used her wings to glide over the grass. She didn't want to be stopped, again. Eventually, the trail ended at a huge grotto. Her village was beautiful, nothing matched up to what she was seeing.

In the middle of the pond was the hut, like a miniature version of the Head residence, overgrown with moss and vines. The water that led up to it was clear as air, her steps produced repels of thin lines.

Koi fish of various colors swam all around the bottom of her shoes, excited for a visitor. It was obvious no one had been here in a long time. She placed her hand in the water for the koi fish to observe and follow. Koi fish were the symbol of good luck, fortune, and prosperity, and if someone were to let the fish kiss their hand, the fishes good luck would be shared to them. She giggled as they did such a thing.

The grotto's walls were covered in moss and vines, cleaned by the water that fell from the top of the cave There were small holes between the top of the walls and the cavern roof.

Around the hut, on the island in the giant pond, the grass was the odd color of red, much like the trimmings of the hut. She took hold of the vertical bars of the double doors, but it didn't budge from her pull.

"Oh!" She took the slip Shibuki gave her, and placed it at the center of the doors, right in the middle of the circle they made.

A red glow surrounded the hut before it shattered and faded. She pulled again. It opened to a giant room, but despite her expectations, there wasn't a spot of dust. In the middle was a pedestal with the red, cylinder bag.

She placed a hand on it, the bag was made of some hard fabric. Not only that, it was imbued with a familiar, strong chakra. As she tried to look inside it, she realized there wasn't even an opening. Her best guess was that it contained a scroll. After all, it was the right size.

There was more to explore in the hut so she searched around. Takigakure formed over a hundred years ago, but how it came to be was a mystery. One thing was obvious, though. The Holy Tree came first.

This place was more like a shrine or storage for artifacts than it was a home. She came to an empty scroll holder. The history of Kakuzu rang through her mind, the man who humbled the village and whose tale remained a grave reminder the village felt guilt for.

At the formation of Takigakure, Kakuzu was assigned to kill the Hokage of Konohagakure, _God _of Shinobi, Harashima Senju, but failed. Once Kakuzu came back, even due to the unfair circumstance placed before him, the village arrested him. After he broke out, he took a kinjutsu, killed the elders, literally _stole _their hearts, and fled, never to be seen again.

Now, he's an urban legend used to scare children straight. "_You best be good, or Kakuzu will come back and take your heart."_

On the other side of the room, she saw a portrait. A man in front of the Holy Tree, but with fewer buildings than the present. Maybe he was the founder of the village.

She expected to have found some recorded history about the upbringing of the village, but aside from the portrait, there wasn't anything of the sort. Maybe Shibuki knew.

One the top of the bag was crossed straps that fitted around her arms. It was comfortable to wear, like a regular backpack. To much her surprise, it didn't stop her from using her wings.

She hurried back to the village. She needed to know what was in it.

It was already near dark by the same was almost back to the village. For most of her way back, she glided over the ground, but due to the dark, she flew straight into a branch. She rubbed her head. "Better not go into a coma, again."

She hopped to her feet and sprinted her way back. There shouldn't be too many traps the closer she got to the village. However, she thought wrong as tripped on a tripwire.

From every direction in front of her, shurikens spun right toward her. Unable to escape the barrage, she opted to duck and cover her head with her arms.

"Foolish," she thought. She should have just flown.

Like hail fall, the ground on both sides of her was met with several shurikens, like a shadow that just fallen and filled up the entire pathway behind her.

Yet, she remained unscathed. She moved her arms and lifted her head up to see someone had stood in front of her and took the shurikens meant for her.

"Shibuki?"

"Are you… alright?"

She nodded, unable to say anything as her chin trembled and her eyes twinkled.

"I forgot to tell you about the traps, some leader I am. I see you have the bag, though," he struggled to say. "Let's go back."

He fell forward, luckily Fu managed to hold him up.

* * *

Shibuki went to the nurse to take the shurikens out of his back. He told Fu to sit on one of the branches of the Holy Tree. So she did. With the cylinder bag stood up against the tree, she hugged her knees as she gazed down at the village below.

If she was more careful, Shibuki wouldn't have been hurt. Even though she had earned the trust of the village, she wouldn't think anyone would ever put themselves in harm's way for her. She wouldn't want them to, especially when it was her own carelessness that caused the harm.

It hadn't been long since Shubiki went to the hospital. He was already climbing up to the branch Fu sat on. Still, she didn't sway her gaze from the village when he walked close to her.

"What's with that look?" He asked in a happy tone. "I said I'd be fine. Shurikens don't cut deep, after all."

They definitely can cut deep. He only said that to make her feel better.

"You say that, but yet you protected me."

He sat near her. "Wouldn't you protect those precious to you?"

As an unexpected result, her face sunk deeper into her knees. "Because I'm a jinchuuriki?"

"Not at all. Majority of the time, I don't even think about it. Since the Suien incident, even most of the villagers had forgotten."

"Now they just hate me because I'm annoying," Fu joked with the same blank stare.

"You laugh, but you really are annoying."

She lifted her head and gawked at him. "Hey!"

He chuckled as he sat near her.

"Yet, you would say it bonds you to them, right?"

As she thought about people she annoyed, her eyes swayed back to the village. "Well, yeah."

"And you would protect them?"

"With my life."

"Then why shouldn't I? I think everyone should be like that, forming bonds and protecting each other."

She let go of one leg to let it swing from the branch. "You sure have changed since Suien came back."

He chuckled. "I don't think my change had barely anything to do with Suien."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember that annoying guy that helped us defeat him?"

"Not really. That day was a blur."

"Right," Shibuki under his breath. He had obvious remorse for what happened between her and his old teacher.

"Well, like how you're annoying to us, I felt a bond with that annoying guy, too. Although he was up in my business and I just wanted him out of my face, he was the one to push me like no one else. His friends tried to stop him, but he kept on coming at me, and for that, I felt close to him. It was what I needed."

Fu smiled. "I hope I could meet him one day. We can be annoying together."

"If I ever need an escort one day, I'll be sure to pay his team to come to visit."

"So, are you going to tell me what that hut was? And what's in the bag?"

He rubbed his chin. "I suppose I could. That hut was the first building in Takigakure."

"I saw a portrait of a man in there. Was he the founder?"

"Indeed he was. The Holy Tree and its Hero's Water had already been around a long time before they made that hut. There had always been guardians of the tree, but a man showed up and not only killed them but dissected their bodies for secrets. He then took the hero's water, but for some reason, gave the founder the scroll that contained their ability."

Fu pointed to the red bag. "Is that what the bag is? The scroll?"

He shook his head for no. "Close, though."

She leaned close to whisper, "Is it what Kakuzu stole?"

"Yes, it was. The kinjutsu Earth Grudge Fear. No one was sure what it did, everyone was too afraid to find out, but whatever it was… led to Kakuzu taking the hearts of the elders."

"Wouldn't it be the same as the guardians? Or did no one bother to write that down, either?!"

Shibuki shrugged. "Whatever the kinjutsu was, it's lost. Kakuzu would have died a long time ago."

"Sounds like he needed a friend."

Shibuki ignored that comment. "Anyway, about the bag."

"Finally going to tell me?"

"It belonged to the first jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails."

"Whoa. And?!"

"And that's all I know!" He was _way _too delighted to say that.

For a long moment, Fu narrowed her eyes and parted her lips as she stared at him.

"You.. don't know what it is? Some anticipation! It doesn't even have an opening! It was like, a chakra barrier!"

He gave her a deadpan look. "You… tried opening it, even though I said not to?"

She froze a moment before she let out a light-hearted chuckled. "Uh, sorry? Technically, I didn't _try _because there wasn't an opening."

Although the mood was lighthearted, his face tensed up. "It wouldn't hurt to listen to me."

Fu tilted her head and smiled at his seriousness. "It's more fun when I don't, though. Plus, why even tell me not to open?"

Shibuki pursed his lips.

"Shibuki?"

He stood up to avoid the question. "Whatever it is, I know you will put it to good use someday."

"Gee, I know I should be thankful, but it's not like I have a clue on what to do with it."

"You can say thanks at that point, then."

Fu looked down at the lake, the shadow glossed it over and made it dark blue. As he left, she called out to him.

"Hey, Shibuki? Earlier, what did you say about the chunin exam?"

He stopped his descent of the tree and looked up at her.

"Oh, that? Every year, one of the Great Village hosts the Chunin Exams that a genin signs up for. It's usually a test of knowledge, survival, and abilities. After a few years, I'd like to see you take them."

Her entire face was delighted as she beamed. "Right! I won't let you down!'

She watched as the climbed down the tree and disappeared within the night.

"They sign up for it, huh?" She grinned as she stood up, fluttered her wings, and flew home.

* * *

**Do I rewrite the New Chunin Exam Arc Filler or no? It'd be my own take on it. Personally, I'd rather just summarize the events.**


	3. Her Lucky Opportunity

Over Takigakure's thrashing waterfall, on top of the ridge, Fu laid in a small field of grass warmed by the sun. She rocked her foot on her knee as she gazed at the drifting clouds.

"Such a beautiful, yet boring day."

She stretched her limbs and laid flat on her back. Focused only on the wind that blew over her body, she shut her eyes and ignored the footsteps that came her way.

A foot kicked her arm.

"Fu, get up," Yoro said.

"Can't you see that I'm asleep?"

"It's important," Kegon said.

"What?" She folded her arms under her head and peeked at them. "I thought I had the day off."

"Lord Shibuki sent us for you," Yoro said.

With panic expressed in her face, she sat up. "Did I do something wrong?!"

Fu followed them to the residence house. To the side of Shibuki's seat were a kettle and a small stove. Due to all the work he had, he rarely left that spot. Not far from him were rolls of scrolls and a bookcase.

"Hey, chief, what's up?" Fu asked.

Shibuki didn't bat an eye away from his scroll, almost uninterested in the ordeal. "Did you really send an application for the chunin exams?"

She cringed. "I might've! But let's say I did, would you… recommend me?"

Breath seeped out between his teeth and out of his lips as he lowered the scroll and shook his head. "I can't do that, you know that I can't."

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. "But why not? I'm ready for the outside world!"

He gave a stern look. "And what if someone were to find out you're a jinchuruki?!"

She turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "I'll just go on my own, then!"

"Hey, wait!" He took in a deep breath. "Maybe I'm being too hasty. Take a seat. This may be an opportunity for everyone, even you."

Fu sat between Kegon and Yoro, with Shibuki on the platform a few inches in front of them. He poured steaming tea into a cup and set it to the side.

"The chunin exams are where ninjas represent their village and reach for their goals. I've told you before, that even though our village is small, it was among the strongest because we've been able to produce capable ninjas. Since I had taken the mantle of head of the Waterfall, I've been wanting to keep on the down-low until I was ready. Perhaps the time is now we need to show how strong the Waterfall is. This would certainly lead to virtue and trust of feudal lords to hire us for important missions."

As she eyed him, Fu scraped her teeth against her lip. "So, I can go?"

"Did you even listen to what I just said?!"

"Of course!" She stood up and held her fists, stopping her from jumping up and down. "And I won't let you down! Everyone will know of Takigakure!"

Shibuki eyed her. "Without them knowing about the Seven-Tails, right?"

"They won't know a thing!"

"Kegon, Yoro, you two will disguise yourselves Fu's genin team."

"Got it," Kegon said.

"Great! I'll meet you two in front of the waterfall! I need to get something from my hut!"

Kegon waved his hand around. "Yeah, yeah."

Fu hurried out of the building and flew across the village like the thousands of times she's done before, waving back to the people below. She flew over one of the giant branches, through the beams of sunlight that penetrated the leaves of the Holy Tree, and to her lonesome hut.

Inside, as she placed on her cylinder bag, she heard her name being called by the girl she saved from Suien years ago, Shizuku, along with the voice of her brother Himatsu.

"Fu! Come play with us!" Shizuku yelled from the ground.

Fu fluttered her wings and floated down to land in front of them. "Sorry, I can't."

"But we thought you had the day off!" Himatsu said.

"Welllll~, something came up! Shibuki is letting me go to the Chunin Exams!"

"The Chunin Exams? What are those?" Shizuku asked.

"They're exams, and if I do well, I can be promoted and take on better missions. Missions that would be outside of the village!"

Shizuku folded her arms behind her back as she glimpsed down to Fu's feet. "How long are you going to be gone for?"

The child's eyes rolled to look up as Fu placed a thoughtful finger to her lips. She gazed up to an imaginable thinking cloud. "I'm not sure, not at all."

She peeked down at Shizuku and saw her gloomful expression. Fu crouched down and squeezed her cheeks, making her laugh. Ever since she saved her from Suien, Shizuku has been like a little sister to her.

"I'll be back soon enough, though! And then I'll play with you two!"

"You better!"

Fu hugged the girl and shook the hair of the boy before she rushed to meet with her team.

After she flew over the ridge, she saw her team waiting in front of the exterior waterfall. The wet grass almost made her slip as she landed.

"You're bringing that?" Kegon glanced at the red bag on her back. "Have you figured out how to use it yet?"

She shook her head. She's gotten used to flying with the bag on, enough not to notice it, but it was still a mystery to her.

"Not yet, but what if that time comes during the exams?!"

Kegon shrugged. "As long it doesn't get in the way."

"The exam is in Konohagakure. It's rather close so we'll go straight there instead of camping," Yoro said.

Fu walked between the two men. With wide eyes, she took in the scenery around her. A huge plain of grass, wide and tall trees, scattered waterfalls, and a warm sun. She wondered if she would miss this place, but then she wondered what Konohagakure looks like!

"How long will it take to get there?"

Kegon rubbed his face. "If we were to camp, we would be there by tomorrow evening. The exam doesn't begin until the day after that."

"That long?! It only takes me like twenty minutes to cover the area of our village, so…" Fu counted her fingers.

Kegon and Yoro rolled their eyes and grinned at each other before Kegon pulled out a map and unfolded it. "Hold the other end, Fu."

With the map straightened out, Kegon pointed at a waterfall. "This is our village, the outline around it is our country, the land of Waterfalls." He dragged his finger down and right, toward a leaf. "To the Southeast is Konohagakure, in the Fire Country."

"Wow… such a long walk."

"You better not fly and leave us here!" Yoro exclaimed.

Fu couldn't hide her crooked smile. "Whaaat?~ Nooo~.. I wouldn't everrr~ do that!"

Yoro folded his arms. "Better not. We're faster than you think."

Her face cracked into a smile. "That so?"

As she sprinted ahead with the map, she folded it and fluttered her wings out.

"Fu! We're serious!" Kegon said.

"I can't hear youuuu~," She said as she sped up.

"Damn it, Fu!" Yoro said before they began jogging, playing keep-up.

"Honestly, how do you two walk allllll~ the time? I can't even walk ten minutes without needing to just... _not_ walk."

While she glided through the path, she ignored the calls behind her. Every other moment, she would look behind her to make sure the two were still in the distance. She had to take a second look after they vanished. She squinted an eye as she hopped to her feet, but grinned as she walked back.

"Oh, where have Kegon and Yoro gone?!" She held her face. "I sure hope they're okayyyy~!"

Silence.

After her teeth scraped her bottom lip, she cuffed her hands around her mouth. "You two can come out now! Ya got me! I'm sorry!"

More silence.

She curled her fingers at her chin before she walked back. Her eyebrows knitted in worry. "This isn't funny!"

The path was empty as she started to glide over the rough, dirt path. "Yoro? Kegon?!"

The leaves above her rustled. Someone in black gear with a different headband had grappled her to the ground and made a snark laugh.

"You shouldn't have left your team! They were so tired from chasing after you, they weren't able to defend themselves!"

Her limbs were pinned down, her face was pushed to the rough ground. "Who are you?!"

"I'm!-" Poof. "Kegon."

Yoro walked out of the woods to their side. "It's a real-life event that could happen at any time. If we're running trying to keep up with you, we'd be too tired to defend from an ambush. You need to remember that during the exam, or anywhere in the world. No doubt we'll be pitted against other teams and something like that may come up."

Fu whimpered. "I get it but you two are mean."

"It's a good lesson. We've all had it..."

Kegon stood up and offered Fu a hand, which she gripped to pull herself up. She sucked in her cheeks and glared at them before she marched past them.

However, she smiled and turned, making her hair sway around. "Even if I can't fly on the way there, I'm still super excited, so can we get a move on?"

Yoro tilted his face down and grinned, closing his eyes. "I get why you're eager, Fu, but you need to get a grip on yourself. This world is dangerous, especially to those who wear headbands."

Fu looked to the headband wrapped on her arm, the sign of a ninja with the symbol of her village.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Fu asked.

"No, Fu," Yoro groaned.

"But my feet hurt."

"You shouldn't rely so much on your flying," Kegon said.

The puffiness of the clouds above took her attention before she tilted her head to look at them. "I'm hungryyy~. Do you think there'll be a barbecue restaurant there?"

"They do," Kegon grinned. "We've been here before."

"Oh?! I'm glad, that means we can go straight there!"

The team of three walked between the paralleling groups of trees. Unlike the Waterfall country, there weren't any cool breezes brewed from the clusters of waterfalls. It was replaced by humidity and heat, and it made her feel gross.

"I really need a bath or something," she said.

Kegon rubbed his chin. "There is a hot spring."

"Kegon," Yoro glared.

"Right… not supposed to let her out of our sight."

Fu huffed a breath out.

Beyond the horizon of the dirt path and trees were mountains, it wasn't until they were much closer she realized the mountains had carved, stone faces on them.

She pointed. "There's' faces up there!"

"Those are the Hokage," a smug Yoro said as he pointed to the utmost left face. "The first Hokage, the second, the third, fourth, and fifth."

"Think we can meet one?!"

Stress lines appeared on Kegon's face as he made a fake smile. "You've seen Shibuki and how busy he is. The Hokage is even busier."

Fu puckered her downturned lips. "I guess there won't be time to meet a foreigner, then."

Once they were within range, Fu smiled at the sight beyond gigantic, opened doors that made a gap between the just as big wall. She didn't expect to see so many people, so many buildings, and so much luck she must've had to take in that sight right then.

On the other side of the door, two Leaf ninjas sat inside a booth, in which the three of them signed in at.

"Ah, here for the chunin exams. Good luck, it's a joint exam this year with the Leaf and Sand," one of the Leaf ninjas said.

"Thank you, we look forward to it," Kegon said.

Fu was more attracted to all the people that roamed the giant road, she was almost overwhelmed by the number of people. The road led up to the mountain, under which was the Hokage's office.

"Do you think that the team of Leaf genin that helped against Suien will be taking the exam, too?" Fu asked.

"No idea, we didn't see them ourselves," Yoro said.

Kegon rubbed his chin. "But if they were able to go toe-to-toe with Suien, they might have already become chunin."

"Oh, well maybe I can make other friends during the exams?"

"We're not here to make friends, Fu!" Yoro said.

She pouted. She was going to make friends, whether they liked it or not.

After they explained to Fu what a hotel was, they walked to it. It wasn't far from the entrance that the tall building stood, made of bricks and green, wooden panels. The lobby had sofas, which Fu sat in while Yoro and Kegon checked-in.

The door chimed as a team of three walked in their headbands that of an hourglass. Two girls, one boy with glasses.

"Three whole days of traveling," the girl with brown hair sighed.

Fu jerked up. "Hi! I'm Fu!"

"Eh?" The girl was stunned at Fu's sudden outburst, while the other two stared. She took Fu's hand and shook it. "Hello. I'm Matsuri…?"

"Would you like to be friends?!" Fu beamed.

"Uh, are you here for the chunin exams?" Matsuri asked.

Fu kept her smile and nodded. The boy cuffed his hand over Matsuri's ear and whispered. Before she could react, Yoro and Kegon pulled Fu away.

"Hey, wait, I'm not done making friends!"

"What was it that we said? We're not here to make friends, we are here to represent our village," Yoro said. "Also, Kegon is starving. Weren't you just before getting here?"

Kegon smiled. "You say that like you weren't hungry yourself, Yoro."

Fu pouted as she glared at them. "Yeah, but…"

"We'll go to our room, unpack, and head straight there," Kegon said.

"Fineeee~"

The hotel room consisted of the main room with two beds, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It was nicer than any room she had ever seen. Compared to her hut, she felt like a savage.

As she put her bag down, she let herself fall back onto the bed that almost bounced her to the ceiling. "It's like a cloud," she smiled. "Why doesn't our village have beds this nice?"

"You should be grateful, Fu," Yoro said.

Fu let out a huge snore, which made Yoro tighten his fist up. "Hey, wake up! We know you're not asleep! We're not leaving you here!"

Fu opened an eye. "Do you mind…? I'm trying to sleep."

"You need to learn some respect."

Snoooree.

Kegon grinned as Yoro gritted his teeth. "Fine, let's tie her up while we go eat, Kegon."

She pushed herself up from the bed. When they trained at the village or if she was getting into trouble, they would tie her up to ground her, in a literal sense.

"Hey, I'm up, don't tie me up, again! I hate when you two do that!"'

* * *

Fu sat at the stone table as she people watched from the window. The seats were comfy due to the green cushions, a real high-class restaurant. At least, to what she's known all her life.

"Fu, you're missing out," Kegon said as he used his chopsticks to grab a piece of meat from the circular grill built into the middle of the table. On both sides of the grill were plates of raw beef.

The moment she walked in and smelled the aroma of cooking meat, her stomach rumbled and she was eager and her mouth watered.

But when she gazed outside and saw the Hokage Rock above the buildings, she felt envious of Konohagakure. She loved her village and her people, she loved the Holy tree and her lonesome hut, but her home was but a branch compared to Konohagakure.

"This place is so… amazing," Fu said.

Kegon and Yoro glimpsed at each other before back at her.

"They are one of the great five Hidden Villagers, of course, they are," Kegon said. "They have a rich history, more than almost any other village."

Fu used her chopsticks and snatched one of the grilled meats. They eyed her, expecting an exuberant reaction, yet…

"How do you like it, Fu?" Yoro asked.

"It's great, it's the best thing I have ever eaten." She turned her attention back to the people outside. "So, this is what I've been missing out on…"

Kegon held his chopsticks together. "There'll be more to come, and after this, Shibuki will definitely let you leave the village more."

"Hope so…"

"And, the chunin exam isn't for another day. We planned on training our team dynamic a bit, but surely, there'll be room for other activities," Kegon said.

The three of them already knew how to work as a team. After all, they were the ones that trained Fu. Shibuki trained her some but not to the amount that Kegon and Yoro had.

After training in a distant training field, the three of them walked around the village. Unfamiliar faces smiled at her as they went by, even their shinobi.

"This village really like foreigners, huh?" Fu asked. She held her arms as she glimpsed around. "It's so different from ours."

"Feeling homesick?" Kegon asked.

Homesick. As in, sick of home? "Yeah… you can say that."

"Hm… say, why don't we take her to the hot springs?"

"You were serious about that?" Yoro asked.

Kegon raised his hands. "She seems pretty tense, and she would be in her element."

Yoro cuffed a hand at his mouth and whispered. "But what if she sneaks away?"

"Hey!" Fu called out.

Yoro shut his eyes. They strained themselves before he gave a stern stare. "One wing out of place and we go right back to our village. Understood?"

She glared and scrunched up her face. "Yes, I understand."

A hot spring. Takigakure didn't have one inside its interior, though there were some all around the area. Of course, a village's hot spring was gender exclusive, that's why Yoro was cynical about it.

The thought of sneaking off did occur to her, but where would she even go? No doubt Yoro would find out, anyway. After she dressed in a towel and walked toward the woman's hot spring, she found herself smiling.

Not only was the area surrounded by ridges, but the thrashing of the waterfall also made her feel at home, though it wasn't as intense or as gigantic Taki's. Over and under the sleek, red rails attached to the wooden beams were the clean, hot water that emitted the steam like Shibuki's cup of tea.

Outside in the world without being accompanied by Kegon and Yoro. The word "free" past through her mind. Getting away from them, away from everything was what she needed. After the chunin exams, would the door of freedom be unlocked for her? She played out the scenario in her head.

"Fu, you returned!" Shibuki would say. "You have presented our village well! You may now go off on any mission you like and go anywhere you would please!"

Once she was done admiring the outside, she walked into the empty hot room. In the middle was a pool of water, surrounded by rocks that held the water in place. The steamed brewed from it cluttered the inside.

As she sat at the side of the hot spring, two people come in.

"Oh, Fu, right?" Matsuri asked. Her teammate with the black hair was with her, too.

Fu gleamed. "Yeah!"

The two of them sat on the opposite side of the spring. "Did you come here to get away from your partners? Mikoshi, our other teammate is so uptight that we had to come here to get away from him."

"I understand, my teammates are like that, too. They don't let me do anything."

"This is Yukata, by the way."

Yukata smiled. "Nice to meet you, Fu. You have really pretty hair."

Although she was in a hot spring, her cheeks turned hot. She wasn't ever complimented before on anything but her abilities. She rose her hand over her mouth. "Oh, uh, I well, it's… green…"

Yukata giggled. "Well, yeah."

"You were from Takigakure, right? With the waterfalls?" Matsuri asked. "That's so far away from Sunagakure. Have you ever been there?"

"No, but I've read about it! The Land of Wind is a giant desert with a lot of natural barriers and dangers," Fu said. "A complete opposite of Takigakure's country, with the grass, trees, and waterfalls…"

"You make your place sound like paradise," she chuckled.

"I heard you earlier that it took three days to get here. I can't even imagine that…"

"It's not the easiest, but at least we don't have to go back for a while. We came with the Sunagakure proctor. She said the exams usually take a month or so."

"A whole month?"

Matsuri nodded. "Yeah, although she wouldn't tell us how long it would take this time."

Fu smiled. "I hope it's a month, though. That gives me a lot of time to make some friends!"

"Is that your only goal in taking the exams?"

Fu kept her smile but looked down at the water between her lets. "No. I wanted to represent my village like any other ninja and become chunin, but I also wanted to make friends along the way!"

Matsuri and Yukata smiled. "I see, well whatever happens during the exams, I hope you'll think of us as friends!"

"You two will be my friends?! Really?!"

"Of course!" Yukata said. "Lord Garaa always said it was good to form bonds beyond our villages as it might bring our villages closer."

Matsuri nodded. "If it weren't for a certain ninja here, the Leaf and Sand villages may not be so close to each other as they are now to do a joint chunin exam."

"Lord Gaara, is he your leader?"

"Yeah. He is our Kazekage, like the Hokage of the Leaf."

Fu wondered if Shibuki could ever behold the title of Kage. "I wonder if my village could ever become like yours one day."

* * *

A few days later, at the entrance of the chunin exam's building, several teams of genin stood outside. Fu tried to count them, up to fifteen teams.

Kegon and Yoro stood on each side of her. She saw Matsuri and Yukata, who smiled and waved at her. Mikoshi was clueless.

However, someone else stuck out. A genin with pink hair. She tried to remember where she saw it before…

As she took a step toward her, Yoro grabbed her wrist. "What is it? The exam is about to start."

She pointed. "That girl over there, I think she helped against Suien all those years ago. I wanted to say thanks."

"It wouldn't be a good idea right now," Kegon said.

She pouted. Although she stood back, she kept looking at all the genin. Some teams had a theme between them, others were unique in every way. One person even had a huge dog by their side.

The two ninjas from the check-in booth walked around the corner and to the front of the building. "Please form a line and come in as teams as we call for you."

Fu bit her lower lip as she pulled on her teammates' sleeve to be near the front of the line. "Fu, what are you doing?" Kegon asked.

Without them even knowing, she got them behind the pink-haired girl's team. "I'm… just excited," Fu said.

Like how she wished, the girl looked over her shoulder. "Oh, you look familiar."

Fu smiled. "I think it was your team that came to the Waterfall village one time."

The girl turned fully around, along with the blonde girl and the stout boy. She pointed. "Oh! Yeah, with team Kakashi!"

"Everyone in the village is still really thankful for what your team did."

The girl smiled. "I'm glad to see you're okay. You went into a coma after you defended that girl against Suien…"

Fu scratched her cheek. "Oh, yeah… I forgot about that."

"Well, good luck on the exam."

"Hey, wait! What was your name?"

"The first team may now come up!" One of the booth ninjas said from inside the building.

She smiled. "It's Sakura. See you inside."

As Fu waved her goodbye, Yoro nudged his elbow on her arm. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

She scratched her cheek. "Eh, well…"

Kegon chuckled. "If only you were always this bright."

Fu gawked at him. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Next team, come up!"

"Come on, Fu," Kegon said, as the two of them walked into the building.

Fu pursed her lips as she followed them. This was the turning point of her life. She can't wait until she sees Shibuki's face at awe how responsible she was and how ready she was for the world!

What could go wrong?

In the neighboring country, near the thrash of the Takigakure's waterfall entrance played Shizuku and Himatsu. They ran around the pond until they noticed the figure emerged from the shadows of the trees.

"Who's that?" Himatsu asked as he stood behind Shizuku.

Shizuku looked to the man's headband. Although he was scary, she recognized their village's headband, even if there was a slash through it.

"He's one of the ninjas. Hi! Have we met?! I can't tell who you are under that mask and cloak."

"I haven't been here in a long time," the man said in a deep, brash voice. "Where is the girl Fu?"

"She's at the chunin exams?" The girl gasped and pointed. "Are you her father?"

The man stood and stared for a moment before he turned around and left.

Both of the kids slowly walked away. "That was really weird," Himatsu said.

"We should probably go talk to Lord Shibuki," Shizuku said.

"Oh, well you now?" Another man said. Though he had the same black cloak with red clouds, the new man wore a different headband around his neck. He stood between them and the entrance, gripping a large scythe.


End file.
